A Slice of Heaven
by goonimgone
Summary: Marinette never expected to find Adrien Agreste with two small kittens outside of her family's bakery, but she's pleasantly surprised at the man she finds underneath the fame. Their chance meeting leads to events that neither could have ever anticipated…
1. Chapter 1

Marinette wiped down the bakery's counters, counting down the minutes until she would be released for the weekend. Her parents owned what had been nicknamed the best bakery in Paris, and Marinette had worked there her whole life. Baking delicious sweets and putting smiles on the faces of hundreds of Parisians filled her with joy, even if it was hard work that sometimes wasn't completely fulfilling. Marinette allowed herself to doze off into dreamland. . .

 _A beach, occupied only by her and the man she loved. A setting sun that encased her love in a suit of gold, making him shine brighter than he had in the daylight hours. Marinette sighed, reaching out to touch his cheek. . .although, this man was faceless. She couldn't make out who he was, but his boyish grin set off fireworks in her heart._

Marinette was jolted out of her reverie by a loud crash. She squared her shoulders and set down the cleaning supplies, confused by what could have caused such a commotion this late at night. The young, black haired woman was a _lot_ tougher than anyone would have suspected - if there was something sinister happening outside of the bakery, she could easily take down the perpetrator.

However, when Marinette made her way outside, she was confronted with a scene much different from the disaster she had envisioned.

Adrien Agreste, the handsomely rich model and son of world famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, was sitting cross-legged by the bakery's back door holding two small kittens. To add to Marinette's shock, the man was purring and cradling the kittens in his arms, looking more happy than he ever had in any of his modeling campaigns.

Marinette cleared her throat, somehow feeling like she was intruding even though Adrien was the one sitting outside of her house with kittens at 10 p.m.

The model jolted, his eyes widening and jaw dropping. "Oh, uh, I swear it's not what it looks like!"

Marinette was officially confused. Adrien gulped. "I saw these kittens, okay? They were alone - and I couldn't just leave them! But when I tried to pick them up, they scattered! So I ran after them, until we came up to this bakery. I crashed into the dumpster - I know, how clumsy of me, right? Anyway, when that happened Tikki turned around and jumped into my arms. . .she's so sweet! Plagg followed her. After that we've just been hanging out. I guess these two like to stick together."

"Tikki? ...Plagg?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, a blush starting to color his cheeks a deep red. "I named these two Tikki and Plagg. Obviously you wouldn't know that. . .sorry, what's your name?"

Marinette chuckled. It was pretty funny seeing such a well put together guy (usually, anyway) stumble over his words. More often than not, Marinette was the one totally losing it during a conversation. "I'm Marinette. And _you_ are Adrien Agreste."

Adrien grimaced. "As you can imagine, I'd appreciate if no one else knew about me crouching outside of a bakery in the middle of the night playing with stray kittens."

"Don't worry about!" Marinette smiled, reaching out a hand. "In fact, I can help you figure out what to do with the kittens and give you a sweet treat." She faltered a little, suddenly remembering that she was talking to no ordinary man, and feeling surprised at herself that she had been so forward to someone who obviously had better things to do than sit around in the bakery with her. "O-of course, only i-if you w-w-want to. . ."

Adrien frowned at her sudden nervousness. It had been nice to meet a woman who didn't seem fazed at all by who he was. He took her outreached hand, quickly replying, "I'd love to, Marinette. I don't get sweets that often! And someone told me this is the best bakery in all of Paris."

Marinette giggled, regaining some of the confidence she had before her invitation. Adrien handed Tikki over to her, then picked up Plagg, as they walked into the bakery and were enveloped by the warmth of Marinette's childhood home. She walked over to the display, taking out the few goods that were leftover from the busy day. Three macarons, a few cookies, and an eclair were all she had to offer Adrien. Marinette sighed as she walked over to the table Adrien and the kittens had chosen. If she had known that there would be such a high profile customer today, there would have been way more impressive sweets set aside this morning.

Adrien, however, didn't care at all. His eyes lit up when Marinette laid out all of the desserts and he quickly dove for a macaroon, shoving it into his mouth and barely swallowing. "This really is amazing! Oh, what I would do to come here whenever I wanted."

Plagg purred, and, if he had been human Marinette would've sworn the cat rolled his eyes at Adrien's overreaction. "So what are your ideas for the kittens? Were you thinking a shelter, or looking to see if they're missing. . ."

"I think I wanna take one home with me. I would love to have both Plagg and Tikki, but there's no way my dad would let me have two kittens. Bringing one home is already a stretch." Taking note of Marinette's confused expression, he explained further, "I still live at the family place. Even though I'm 18, he still has a lot of control over me." Adrien wanted to say even more, like ask her if it was normal to still not have freedom despite being an adult and having completed school, but he stopped himself. Why did it feel so easy to divulge all of his worries to this stranger?

Silence fell between the two of them for a few minutes as Marinette mulled over the information she had just received. She had seen plenty of stray animals in the past 18 years, but there was something. . .familiar about Tikki that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something that made her feel like she had a responsibility to personally care for the small kitten. Oddly enough, despite being a deep reddish brown, Tikki had a patch of black fur along her head that reminded Marinette of a ladybug. The kitten looked nothing like any other cat she had seen before. It was intriguing.

"I can handle Tikki just fine," Marinette said at last, breaking the tension filled silence that had fell between them. "So you take Plagg, and I'll make sure Tikki is cared for."

Adrien didn't even try to hide his excitement as he reached for a cookie, his other hand rapidly stroking Plagg's left ear. "That makes me really happy Marinette!" A honk from outside caused both of them to jump, as Marinette's eyes landed on a large, serious looking man emerging from an expensive car.

"Oh," Adrien gulped as his smile fell, "that's my bodyguard. I guess he found me. Listen, Marinette, I am seriously so happy for you helping me. And, hopefully-"

"I won't tell anyone. About the cat chasing," Marinette interrupted. She couldn't resist giggling at the ridiculousness of it all. Her and Adrien freaking Agreste had a secret.

Adrien exhaled and stood, cradling Plagg as the black kitten purred. Plagg's fur was completely black in contrast to Tikki's, but his eyes were green. And, somehow, Marinette felt like the little kitty had a heightened awareness of everything that was going on around him.

"It might not be plausible," Adrien murmured, rubbing his neck again, "but I really hope I see you again someday. And Tikki, too!"

Marinette nodded, somehow containing her shock - Adrien wanted to see her again?

The four of them walked over to the bakery's front door, Tikki following close behind. "My lips are shut." Marinette did a locking motion, throwing an imaginary key into Adrien's free hand. He waved, and then turned, walking out into the quiet night and into his bodyguard's car. The car sped away, leaving Marinette behind with a twinkle in her eye.


	2. Chapter 2

"Tikki! Come 'ere." Marinette picked up the kitten, lightly stroking the top of its head. "I want you to meet Alya."

The other young woman smiled and leaned down so that she was eye level with her friend's pet. "She's a cutie!" Alya gently took Tikki from Marinette's hands. "It's been way too long since the last time we hung out, girl."

Marinette settled down in her desk chair across from her best friend. "Well, we're both in school and working. It's understandable." She had chosen the Paris College of Art, while Alya was in the journalism program at Sorbonne. Between designing, her art classes, and the bakery Marinette had little free time; and Alya was always working on her blog along with schoolwork. Even though they had been inseparable in lycée, it was hard to find time to hang out nowadays.

"So, how did you even end up getting a kitty? You always said before that you didn't want any pets to you finished school and left your parents' house," Alya asked, giving Marinette a knowing look. _Something_ was off with this situation.

"About that…" Marinette giggled nervously, playing with one of her pigtails. "A...friend found Tikki and another stray. He couldn't keep both of them, so I decided to take in one."

Alya set down Tikki and hopped up from the edge of Marinette's bed, where she had been sitting. "I knew there was more to this! Who was it? Do you have a secret boyfriend?" Alya leaned over the desk chair.

"Listen, if I tell you the full story you have to promise not to tell anyone. This can not get to your blog. I'm serious, Alya!"

"I promise, I promise! Now, spill."

Marinette sighed before she began. If Alya betrayed her trust, Adrien would not be happy. But, it had been a month since she had seen the model. Who knew if she would ever cross paths with him again? For some reason, after just one conversation Marinette felt like Adrien was a kindred spirit. "I was closing up the bakery one night when I heard a really loud noise. So, I went outside to see what was going on… and there was Adrien Agreste."

Alya screeched right into Marinette's ear, grabbing her shoulders. "What the hell!"

"Alya, let me finish. He told me he had found Tikki and Plagg - those are the names he gave the kitties. He kept Plagg. Anyway, that's the end of the story. I took Tikki, walked him out of the bakery, and haven't seen him since. There's not anything else to tell you." Marinette pried Alya's hands off her shoulders and stood up.

"Aw, I was hoping the story would be more exciting. Or romantic," Alya smirked. "It's crazy that you met an Agreste though."

Marinette sighed, starting to head downstairs. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, my mom is cooking dinner tonight since you're here. Let's go help."

* * *

" _Honestly, Ladybug, I'm scared. We have no idea what will happen after tomorrow." The man wrapped his hand around her wrist, keeping her from caressing his cheek. It felt like a seat had been pulled out from under her._

" _Why? I am Ladybug, and you are Chat Noir. We know who Hawkmoth is and we know how to beat him." Marinette frowned as she watched her love, still faceless, shift away from her. "I understand why you're conflicted. You don't deserve this. But, everything will be okay after tomorrow."_

" _Who are you?" Chat asked suddenly. He had dug his fingers into the sand, and Marinette could sense that he was in great distress._

" _You know who I am. I'm_ your _Ladybug." She again tried to reach out to him, but he was closed off - physically and emotionally._

" _Who are you really? Please, let's end all of the secrecy. We don't know what will happen after this. What if something goes wrong? If we were to lose our kwamis without knowing who each other really are, we-"_

" _Chat! No!" Ladybug snapped, facing away from him. "Not until Hawkmoth is defeated."_

 _The faceless man - Chat Noir - began to fade as the beautiful beach turned into a swirl of dissonant color. What had been beautiful and romantic was now a twisted nightmare._

" _Chat! Chat!"_

* * *

"Chat!"

Marinette sat straight up in her bed, her heart racing and beads of sweat forming. What in the world had that been? She hadn't dreamed of this 'faceless man' in a month. Something about them felt more like a long-forgotten memory than a twisted dream. Marinette had no idea who Ladybug, Chat Noir, or Hawkmoth were, but for some reason it shook her to the core.

Tikki was wide awake, staring up at Marinette.

She decided to fill up the cat's bowl while she tried to compose herself. There was no time today to be freaking out over a nightmare. Gabriel Agreste was coming to her school today for a presentation about internships at his company, and what he was looking for her in new hires; Marinette needed to be punctual and well put together to make a good impression...both of which were not typical of her.

Tikki, however, had other plans. The cat took off out of Marinette's room, all the way to where the bakery was - and the front door. Marinette gasped and hurried after her. "Come back! I do not have time for this!"

Marinette was not the only exhausted person in her family. Too many early mornings had taken a lot out of her parents, and Sabine had somehow managed to burn an entire pan of cookies. Tom had then propped open the front door to get rid of the odor. Tikki took full advantage of these chain of events and went right on outside.

" _Tikki!_ No!" Marinette wasn't even thinking about class anymore, she was just terrified. She ran around the corner after Tikki, but she was somewhat behind; the kitty could slip between pedestrians' legs, while Marinette had to bob and weave her way through crowds of people.

The next block led to a dead end. Marinette sped up as she saw Tikki turn right down the corner that she knew led to nothing. "Gotcha!"

"Marinette?"

She stopped suddenly, her jaw dropping in shock. There was Adrien, cradling Tikki with one hand while holding on to Plagg's leash with the other.

"Oh my goodness, Adrien, I don't know what's up with Tikki. I was filling up her bowl and then she ran out of my room and straight outside! I'm so glad you picked her up." Marinette leaned over with her hands on her knees, taking a second to exhale. She was now realizing how exhausting the chase and emotional turmoil had been; between her nonsensical dream and coming so close to losing Tikki, she wanted to scream.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good." Adrien walked closer to Marinette, staring at her sympathetically. "Though I am glad to see you and Tikki again."

He was dressed impeccably, with a velvet button-down and soft denim jeans straight from his father's newest line. In fact - "Holy-I'm gonna be late!" Marinette grabbed Tiki from Adrien's hands. She was even more worse off than before. Now, she was sweaty, stressed, and winded.

"Wait, what are you late for?" Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand, keeping her from leaving the alleyway.

"Your dad is having a presentation at my school today," she hurriedly explained, glancing back at her house. Under normal circumstances, she'd be freaking out about Adrien Agreste making contact with her like this, but this was no normal day.

"I'm actually going to that too," Adrien said, "I can give you a ride." He didn't let go of her hand as he led her back in the direction of where she lived. "Go get ready and I'll wait. It only takes about 10 minutes by car. Lot faster than you walking."

Marinette blinked. She was so shell shocked she couldn't even think of anything to say.

"W-well, t-t-thank you, Adrien. I really appreciate it," she stuttered out. He kindly nudged her through the door.

"It's no problem, Marinette. I'd like to think we could be friends one day."

Before she could reply to _that,_ they were interrupted by her parents. There was still another hour before the bakery opened up, but they had been hard at work getting everything ready for the day.

"Marinette, do you want to introduce us to your...friend?" Her mother asked. Sabine knew very well that this man was Adrien Agreste, famous model and celebrity child - she wasn't oblivious - but she was extremely curious as to why he was holding her daughter's hand and standing in their bakery.

"Maman, this is Adrien. He found Tikki just now when I was chasing her down the street." Marinette fiddled with the drawstring of her pajama pants, suddenly conscious that she was standing next to a cute boy in sleep clothes. "He's actually heading to the university, too, and offered me a ride."

"It's nice to meet you both," Adrien smoothly said, giving direct eye contact to Tom and Sabine. "This is actually my second time meeting Marinette."

Marinette glanced at him, surprised. Wasn't that supposed to be a secret?

"You should go get ready now, or else we'll be late."

Marinette gasped. "Oh, yes, you're right! Thank you, Adrien!" With that, she turned and ran upstairs, immensely grateful that she had picked out her outfit the night before.

Adrien smiled as he watched her run away. Sabine easily zeroed on that.

"You said this is your second time seeing Marinette?" She walked out from behind the counter and sat down at one of the small tables, crossing her legs. Tom shook his head and decided to continue working. His wife would fill him in on anything worth knowing later.

"Yes, there was one night a month or two ago that I came into the bakery and ordered something. My sources tell me that there's no place better in all of Paris." Adrien winked and sat across from Sabine at the table.

"Very flattering to hear from someone like you," Sabine admitted.

"I knew as soon as I tried one of your pastries it was true. Marinette is also very nice, and I love Tikki," Adrien continued. Something about the Dupain-Cheng family made him feel comfortable, like he could talk about anything. "Hopefully you'll be seeing more of me in the future."

Marinette returned before Sabine could ask another question of the young man, but she was satisfied with what she had learned.

"So how have you liked university so far?" Adrien asked Marinette. He turned down the volume on the radio slightly so that he could hear her response clearly.

Marinette thought about his question for a second before she answered. It was a good one - how did she like this new phase of life? Sure, it was lonely sometimes not seeing Alya, Nino (Alya's boyfriend and her old friend), and her other classmates everyday, but she had pushed her artistic abilities to new limits.

"It's been an adventure," she responded finally, sagging back into the passenger seat. Marinette gazed out of Adrien's car window and took in everything around her. Life was always surprising her. Here she was, in a car with a super cute boy, one that every girl dreamed about in fact, and having a down to earth conversation with him.

Adrien chuckled. "I actually go to the same university, but I'm not around on campus that much. I spend most of my time working with my dad."

"Does that make you happy?"

"No," Adrien said, deciding to be truthful for once. "I'd much rather be baking pastries with your parents everyday."

He turned into the school's entrance and parked. "Wait a second before you get out," Adrien turned to her with a boyish grin before he leapt out. He hurried over to the passenger's side and opened the door, bowing. "After you, my lady."

Marinette laughed, totally surprised at his chivalry. "My lady? I didn't know you were so silly, Agreste." She shook his head at him as he joined her in laughter.

"I'd like to spend time with you again one day," Adrien said as they walked up to the doors. "And not a month from now." He reached into his pocket and gave Marinette his phone.

She entered her phone number and the contact name as 'Mari', with a smiley emoji, a light blush covering her face. "There you go."

"Great! I'll text you soon," Adrien promised. He held open the front door for her and bowed again, knowing that Marinette would crack up. After that, he headed off in the opposite direction, glancing back at Marinette one last time.

She sighed. What a day! Looking down at her phone, she saw she only had four minutes to make it to the lecture hall on time. "Ugh!" Marinette huffed. She took off to the right, hoping that her heels could handle a run. Would this day ever give her a break?


End file.
